Thousands await invitation to Gator Nation; about 200 got early peek

By Clare Lennon and Joey FlechasStaff Writers

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 5:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 5:48 p.m.

Although all freshman applicants to the University of Florida will find out tonight whether they have been accepted to the Gator Nation, about 200 got a glimpse at their admission status due to a computer glitch Wednesday night.

Admission data is loaded to the website and kept "masked" until the big reveal tonight, according to UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.

"During our preparatory work, somehow the data became unmasked," she said. The problem came to UF officials' attention at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Sikes said officials shut down the system soon after as information technology staff worked on the problem.

About 200 UF hopefuls saw a decision, but Sikes emphasized that no decision is final until 6 p.m. when UF is scheduled to release admittance decisions through the school website.

Around 29,000 people apply each year, according to a UF press release. The university admits about 11,000 to fill 6,400 freshman spots.

This will also be the second year that UF will admit students for its Innovation Academy, a program that promotes student entrepreneurship, creation and leadership. The inaugural Innovation Academy class was made up of 334 freshmen who began taking classes in this current spring semester.

Sikes said the fact that applicants were checking two days early shows how excited students are to come to UF.

"I think it just demonstrates how much excitement builds around decision-making time," she said.

<p>Although all freshman applicants to the University of Florida will find out tonight whether they have been accepted to the Gator Nation, about 200 got a glimpse at their admission status due to a computer glitch Wednesday night.</p><p>Admission data is loaded to the website and kept "masked" until the big reveal tonight, according to UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.</p><p>"During our preparatory work, somehow the data became unmasked," she said. The problem came to UF officials' attention at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.</p><p>Sikes said officials shut down the system soon after as information technology staff worked on the problem.</p><p>About 200 UF hopefuls saw a decision, but Sikes emphasized that no decision is final until 6 p.m. when UF is scheduled to release admittance decisions through the school website.</p><p>Around 29,000 people apply each year, according to a UF press release. The university admits about 11,000 to fill 6,400 freshman spots.</p><p>This will also be the second year that UF will admit students for its Innovation Academy, a program that promotes student entrepreneurship, creation and leadership. The inaugural Innovation Academy class was made up of 334 freshmen who began taking classes in this current spring semester.</p><p>Sikes said the fact that applicants were checking two days early shows how excited students are to come to UF.</p><p>"I think it just demonstrates how much excitement builds around decision-making time," she said.</p>